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Space Investors: Multifamily Moon Colonies Underway

The Man on the Moon may have some new neighbors by the end of the century. Property Management Insider recently learned that an anonymous group of developers believe that space is truly the final frontier for the next generation of multifamily housing development by building apartment communities on the moon.

A spokesman for the group, Thome O’ Mannon, said land is being acquired in “significant” parcels to develop several mid- and high-rise mixed-use communities at various locations on the moon in anticipation of future space colonization and possible rental housing shortages on earth due to over population.

O’Mannon says that initial plans, assuming sufficient oxygen supply is available, will include building multifamily housing modularly to minimize installation time. Units would be stackable and interlock with others, enabling a quick build of a multi-story housing facility.

The group has already created a marketing plan for “Moondular Units,” which would be built on earth and shuttled to the moon through the International Space Station.

“This is not far-fetched at all,” said O’Mannon. “Historically, housing has overcome many geographic issues within our planet. We now comfortably live in flood plains, in the desert, in areas where extreme weather and temperature or everyday occurrences. Texas for one. The moon is just the next chapter.”

A Moon with a View: Buying Moon Property

Land is currently being sold on the moon by one company, which claims to be the earth’s leading lunar real estate provider. Some 611 million acres of the lunar surface, including various waterfront locations like the Sea of Tranquility, Lake of Dreams, Sea of Serenity, and the Sea of Vapours, have been sold, according to a report in March in U.S. News and World Report.

Three former presidents reportedly own parcels.

The validity of the deeds has been questioned (according to the 1967 United Nations Outer Space Treaty, no country can own the moon). Even if the titles are valid for prime properties, developers who are intent on creating multifamily housing 238,900 miles away from earth say they plan to get there first and follow an example of land acquisition dating to the days of Henry I’s reign.

“Adverse possession,” O’Mannon said. “Squatter’s rights.”

There’s No Place Like (Moon) Home

With advanced satellite technology, online leasing will be more in demand than ever to fill units once NASA gets approval for building a moon colony. Satellites could be aligned to bounce signals from the earth to the moon, enabling potential residents the flexibility of making arrangements with the galaxy through property management systems.

While there are many details to work out, such as interplanetary governance as applicable to fair housing laws, developers are confident they’ll be in position to capitalize on the next housing boom or simply to accommodate current occupancy growth.

“Property developers for multifamily are forward thinkers, boldly going where no developer has gone before, always looking to stay ahead of the curve, and riding the wave of tomorrow today,” O’Mannon said. “This next wave will just happen to be a little out of this world.”

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Michael Cunningham is Content Marketing Manager at ProofHQ, and the former Managing Editor of PropertyManagementInsider.com. He worked as a social media manager for RealPage, Inc., a provider of on-demand software solutions that integrate and streamline single-family and a wide variety of multifamily rental property management business functions. He is responsible for promoting the company through various media channels, including editorial, print and online advertising, and social media. Michael received his education at Indiana University where he majored in English.